This is the event we have all been waiting for:
On Thursday, 2nd March 2006, our two National League Premier
Division teams will be fighting for a place in the final.
Neil Roxburgh, University
team captain, will be taking on Rod
McNaughton in the second string singles before David
Woodman has a go at the World Champion, Rob
Fahey.
Play commences at 6pm.
For the results, click here.
Friday, 24th February
Peter Paterson (handicap 6) and Jamie Douglas (handicap
10) will be taking on Canford’s Austin Snelgrove and
Ben Matthews in Division 2 of the National League to secure
a place in the play-offs.
Come and support our pro and student star player for two
singles and one doubles match – all to be played on
the Green Court from 6pm.
Saturday, 25th February
The ladies will be competing for the Ladies’ Club
Championship (current holder: Louise Ludekens) on the Blue
Court from 9.30am.
The Club Category 30 – 39 Championship will be played
on the Green Court from 11am.
Sunday, 26th February
The C.U.R.T.C. superstar David Woodman will be joined by Rod
McNaughtan (Head Pro at the Burroughs Club) in what promises
to be an exciting National League Premier Division match.
Our team will be taking on Petworth’s head pro Nick
Wood and assistant pro Tom Durack.
Play commences on the Blue Court at 12pm.
And if that is not enough, Cambridge#7 will be playing Hatfield#2
in Division 7 of the National League. Play starts on the Green
Court at 12pm.
You will also be able to watch the Rugby on TV in the club’s
sponsor’s room:
Saturday, 25th February - France v Italy @ 1.40pm
Saturday, 25th February - Scotland v England @ 4pm
Saturday, 26th February - Ireland v Wales @ 2.30pm
This was the return fixture, the first encounter having ended
2-1 at Petworth in favour of Cambridge.
Neil Roxburgh who had lost to Tom Durack there was looking
for revenge and was well prepared, having beaten a 7 handicap
player in the Field trophy at Queens the previous Sunday.
He always plays attacking tennis, taking risks particularly
on the volley, but on this occasion he succeeded in reducing
the error count and was impressive, particularly with his
low volleyed return of serve to the forehand corner. Although
he lost the first game to a grille at advantage point he won
the next to love and the third with a grille of his own at
advantage, having recovered from 0-40. He went quickly to
4-1 and then, serving at advantage and defending a chase of
5 yards he neatly found the hazard galleries to lead 5-1,
and although Tom clawed a game back on his second advantage
point, Neil was not to be denied and, reaching 40-0 with a
spectacular backhand volley to the grille, he then attacked
a chase of first gallery with a hard cross court boast which
fell chase 6 to give him the first set 6-2.
In the second set, leading 2-1 and 40-0, he appeared to press
slightly in his keenness to finish the match and made one
or two errors to allow Tom to level. However, he stuck to
his task and won the next two longish games in very determined
fashioned to lead 4-2. Tom fought back to 3-4 before Neil
produced a love game for 5-3 and another at 5-4 to win 6-2,
6-4. In the opinion of one of his fellow Varsity team members
he had fought a good scrap at Queens but had played much the
better tennis on this occasion. Peter Paterson had better
watch out for his number two spot in the club!
Rob Fahey who had arrived the previous day from Melbourne
and was due to fly the following day to Boston, then took
on Nick Wood whom he had defeated at Petworth and who was
still suffering from a persistent wrist injury. Rob, perhaps
a little out of condition, attacked from the start, accepting
the consequent errors, and with neither player appearing to
want to stay on court longer than absolutely necessarily they,
nevertheless, produced a most exciting exhibition of tennis
for the spectators.
After some furious opening exchanges Rob, leading 3-2 and
at advantage forced an error from Nick in defending a main
wall boast and from there he raced ahead to take the first
set 6-2, finishing it off with his second unreturnable serve
of the match.
Continuing in the same vein in the second set Rob ran into
some fine play from Nick who took the first two games and
then the third, though he required 3 advantage points as Rob
fought to stop the rot. Completely unphased, the World Champion
took the next four games in rapid time and Nick needed all
his artillery in the following one, hitting a force to the
dedans for advantage, a main wall dedans for his second advantage
and a final force to the dedans before levelling at 4-4. This,
however, appeared to exhaust his ammunition as Rob went quickly
to 5-4 and in the next game hit yet another grille to reach
advantage, followed by a force to the dedans for the set 6-4
and the match 6-2, 6-4. In the course of the encounter Rob
had hit 5 straight forces, 7 main wall dedans and 14 grilles,
not forgetting 1 winning gallery.
Petworth began the doubles with Tom serving so that Rob received
and thus Neil had the new and interesting experience of serving
to and receiving from Nick. Both Neil and Tom took a little
time to pick up the pace again after their break which resulted
in some errors, particularly on the volley. There were, nevertheless,
some entertaining exchanges including, in the sixth game,
a spectacular overhead smash to the dedans from Rob which
was countered by a fine winning gallery by Nick to bring the
sides level at 3-3. Cambridge led 4-3 and 40-0 in the next
when Rob produced a great volley to the dedans for 5-3. The
following game was well contested but went also to Cambridge
and then, in the next, unfortunately Nick’s injury proved
too much and Petworth were forced to retire. It was a sad
end to the evening and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Please note the next three home match dates below, which
will take us to end of the season:
Thu 23rd Feb:
Cambridge 2 vs R.T.C. 1 - (6pm)
Sun 26th Feb: Cambridge 2 vs Petworth 1 - (12noon)
Thu 2nd Mar: Cambridge 1 vs Cambridge 2 - (6pm)
Club members with handicaps between "40 - 49" are
invited to compete for the "C.U.R.T.C. Category 40 -
49 Championship".
This is a level tournaments. The initial stages will be
round-robin. Group winners in each championships will go through
to their knockout semi-finals. During the round-robin stage
each match will be first to win six games. The knockout matches
will be first to win eight games.
Play will commence at 8.30 am on Sunday, 5th March.
Please sign up for this tournament on the notice board at
the club. Alternatively, contact the professionals at the
club via telephone or email.
The tournament fee is based on the amount of court time
used and will be charged to your account.
Burak Salgin,
Cambridge travelled to Seacourt fortified by the return of
David Woodman, but lacking Rod McNaughtan away in Australia,
so that Peter Paterson retained his place. This was appropriate
since Peter grew up and started playing in the area and knows
the court well, certainly better than anyone else in Cambridge.
Peter faced Luke Danby who has only recently returned to
this country after sailing the world for five or six years,
although he did admit to putting in at Sydney and Melbourne
and spending the best part of one summer moored in Newport
Rode Island. He had recently done well to qualify for the
British Open, losing in the first round in a marathon match
to Tom Durack. Peter, on the other hand, was coming off a
very convincing victory in a Division 2 match at Hampton Court
the previous Sunday which had the effect of improving his
handicap to a best ever 6. They looked evenly matched and
so it proved.
The first few games were fairly short, both players feeling
their way and Luke making several unforced errors, each time
asking Peter to make a note of the presents given him. At
4-4 the match warmed up with Peter edging ahead to 5-4 before
Luke levelled at 5-5 and then Peter held his game together
well to take the first set 6-5.
In the second set Peter began to gain the ascendancy, employing
his favourite main wall dedans, though it must be said that
the success rate was less than 50 per cent. However, he led
5-3 and was looking good but Luke fought back to take the
next game on his first advantage point and then levelled at
5-5. In the deciding game, leading 40-30, he returned a service
which travelled via the sidewall and the penthouse before
dropping into the dedans. Cruel for Peter, though he was later
consoled by our senior professional who told him if you serve
tight so that your opponent can only scoop the ball back you
must sometimes expect the unexpected!
Perhaps a little disheartened, Peter was behind 1-3 in the
final set though, to his credit, he fought back to 3-3 and
then 4-4. He recovered from love 40 in the next to reach deuce
before Luke took it on his first advantage point and then
quickly took the last game to love to win 5-6, 6-5, 6-4.
David Woodman, with Dan Jones unfit, then took on Brad Dale
who had defeated Peter at Cambridge. Unlike Peter, David had
never played the court before but had the benefit of Peter’s
advice on the way down. This was to play for the corners and
in defence, cut the ball off early as the extreme severity
of the court made retrieving difficult. David followed instructions
admirably and raced quickly to 4-1, moving noticeably faster
than his opponent about the court and getting back some shots
which had looked impossible. Old habits die hard, however,
and he could not resist bringing out the heavy artillery,
not very successfully as his forces were inclined to go out
of court or come off the penthouse inviting retribution on
the floor. He was brought back to 4-3 before steadying to
take the next two games for the set at 6-3, though he did
require three advantage points in the last before winning
it.
In the second set David eventually won a very long third
game of twenty-two rests to lead 2-1 and from there went quickly
to 4-1. Exactly like the first set he was brought back to
4-3 and Brad fought extremely hard in the next two, reaching
deuce in both before David prevailed 6-3, 6-3. It was good
to see David back to something like his best after his shoulder
injury. His speed of foot and excellent floor game were particularly
impressive.
For the deciding doubles Peter and David were not exactly
a scratch pairing as they had won the Charles Acheson-Gray
Memorial Doubles together and a few days earlier had enjoyed
a successful warm up match against Burack and Neil Roxburgh,
so that they were well prepared.
Cambridge got off to a good start to lead 4-1 and then 5-2,
but in the next game failed to convert two advantage points
to allow Seacourt back into the match. From 5-3 it was nip
and tuck to 6-5 for Cambridge with all to play for, but fortunately
David and Peter then produced two good games, winning both
to 15 and David administering the coup de grace with a volleyed
return of serve to the dedans to win 8-5 and take the match
2-1. One lasting impression of this match was David’s
almost impeccable defence of the dedans against a succession
of forces.
Club members with handicaps between "20 - 29" are
invited to compete for the "C.U.R.T.C. Category 20 -
29 Championship", whilst those with handicaps between
“30 - 39” are invited to compete for the "C.U.R.T.C.
Category 30 - 39 Championship".
These are level tournaments. The initial stages will be
round-robin. Group winners in each championships will go through
to their knockout semi-finals. During the round-robin stage
each match will be first to win six games. The knockout matches
will be first to win eight games.
Play for the Category 20-29 Championship will commence at
8.30am on Sunday, 26th January whilst the Category 30-39 Championship
will commence at 11.00 am on Saturday, 25th January.
Please sign up for this tournament on the notice board at
the club. Alternatively, contact the professionals at the
club via telephone or email.
The tournament fee is based on the amount of court time
used and will be charged to your account.
Burak Salgin,
24th & 25th February 2006
Holder: Louise Ludekens
If there are enough entrants, there will be a round-robin
stage on Friday and knockout matches on Saturday. If there
are few entrants, there will only be knockout matches on Saturday.
All players must be available on Saturday from 9.30 am till
mid-afternoon.
A light lunch will be provided on Saturday.
Please contact Louise or Kees to enter. Or sign up on the
club notice board.
Burak Salgin,
In the unavoidable absence of David Woodman Cambridge took
the opportunity to introduce their own, their very own, Peter
Paterson for his debut in the Premier League. Peter faced
Brad Dale from Hobart, currently on an exchange at the Bristol
and Bath Club, and although giving six points on handicap,
had in his favour that it was Brad’s first match on
the Cambridge court.
Peter adopted an aggressive strategy from the start, going
for the openings, and in the course of the match recorded
five straight forces for the dedans, six of his favourite
main wall dedans plus a couple of grilles and two winning
galleries. Brad, on the other hand, relied on an accurate
floor game playing to the corners to find weaknesses, particularly
to Peter’s back hand.
The first set was level at 3-3 and 4-4 before Brad won the
next game fairly comfortably to 30, and then led 40-30 before
Peter found the winning gallery and then reached deuce. However,
Brad found a winning gallery of his own on his first advantage
point to take the set 6-4.
In the second set Peter was playing catch up from 0-2 to
2-2 and then from 2-4 to 4-4 where he fought hard in two well-contested
games. Brad started the next with a grille and although Peter
immediately countered with a force to the dedans he could
get no further than 15. He found a further straight force
to reach 30-40 in the final game before Brad found the grille
to take the match 6-4, 6-4.
Peter was naturally disappointed but he no doubt remembers
asking Tim Chisholm how he had improved so much in a relatively
short space of time to which Tim replied that he had learnt
to make less errors. Just a few less would have made all the
difference to Peter but there is no doubt he does not need
reminding of it.
The second singles opposed Rod McNaughtan to Dan Jones the
head Seacourt professional who is ranked 7th in the world.
However, on his previous visit he had played Rob Fahey on
the Green Court where as Rod is now pretty familiar with the
Blue. Accustomed to watching Rob Fahey in what is frequently
almost an exhibition match, the spectators were treated to
a spectacular game between two extremely fit and athletic
players. Their reactions were so quick that the tambour presented
no problems unless struck right at its base, and one rest
during the match must have comprised neared 30 than 20 strokes.
Rod got off to a good start, and although most of the rests
were well contested, his attacking game succeeded in producing
a few errors from Dan and enabled him to get on top and take
the first set 6-3. The second set produced one of those complete
reversals of form for which real tennis is renowned. Dan,
getting the measure of the court, suddenly found his length
and produced an immaculately accurate floor game which saw
him quickly to 4-0. Rod, always a great fighter, had had enough
and in a game of twenty rests saved 3 advantage points. However,
a fourth proved too much for him and, although again reaching
deuce in the next he was forced to concede the set 6-0.
The pendulum had now swung completely to Dan who hit a neat
grille to lead 4-1 in the decider. Then followed the crucial
game that, in effect, decided the match. During twenty-five
rests Rod saved four advantage points before converting the
third of his own with a slightly fortuitous dedans. It was
at this point that Dan suffered an attack of cramp in his
racket hand ad although, sportsman that he is he would never
make excuses, it undoubtedly affected him, and although he
reached deuce in the next before losing it, the final three
games were rather one sided as Rod seized his chance and took
the match 6-3, 0-6, 6-4. In a match contested as if it was
the final of the British Open, it was a pity either player
had to lose.
The all-important doubles began with Rod serving to Dan and
was so evenly matched that the score went 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4,
(with Peter excelling himself by, receiving service at 0-40
in the eighth game, fighting back eventually to win it) and
then 5-5. It was then Rod’s turn as he hit a grille,
main wall dedans, and finally found the galleries to win a
hazard chase for 6-5 and thus encouraged, Cambridge won the
next fairly easily to lead 7-5. Seacourt immediately rebounded
to take the next equally easily and this was followed by pure
drama. Peter, receiving service, hit a main wall dedans and
then at 30-0 Cambridge achieved two chases to gain the service.
Winning the first of them, Peter served for the match at 40-0
but Seacourt, at 15-40 laid a chase of their own to regain
the service, reached deuce, and on their first advantage point
induced Rod to hit one into the net for 7-7.
Thus after approximately four hours of tennis the whole
match depended on one game. Cambridge, serving at 30-40 and
playing off a chase of hazard a yard, contrived to lose it
on the floor, the ball falling hazard one and two and that
was that. Congratulations to Seacourt for never giving up
and many thanks for all the players for a wonderful evening
entertainment.
If you or your workplace have a computer that you no longer
require please consider donating it to the Club.
We would like to set up a computer dedicated to court bookings
and so require a PC and monitor running Windows 98 or XP and
with a network port, such as a computer used in an office.
Please check your loft and call Kees on 01223 357 106 or
email him at
if you can help.
Many thanks, Kees
Club members with handicaps between "50 - 59" are
invited to compete for the "C.U.R.T.C. Category 50 -
59 Championship", whilst those who are 60+ are invited
to compete for
the "C.U.R.T.C. Category 60+ Championship".
These are level tournaments. The initial stages will be round-robin.
Group winners in each championships will go through to their
knockout semi-finals. During the round-robin stage each match
will be first to win six games. The knockout matches will
be first to win eight games.
Play for the Category 50-59 Championship will commence at
2pm on Saturday, 28th January whilst the Category 60+ Championship
will commence at 8.30 am on Sunday, 29th January.
Please sign up for this tournament on the notice board at
the club. Alternatively, contact the professionals at the
club via telephone or
The tournament fee is based on the amount of court time used
and will be charged to your account.
Burak Salgin,
This year’s Varsity match will be held at the MCC on
17th & 18th February.
For the first time in the history of this competition both
1st Men’s and Women’s teams from each university
will go head-to-head on the same weekend.
Please come and support our students in their attempt to
clench the victory for Cambridge.
Burak Salgin,
Following two impressive 5-0 wins against Manchester and
Hatfield, our 7-men strong Field Trophy team are now up against
the Queen’s Club in the semi-final of this prestigious
amateur club championship.
Come and support our team at Queen’s on Sunday, 5th
February, from 10.30am onwards for 2 doubles and 3 singles
matches.
Burak Salgin,
The CURTC US Tour 2005 saw four Cambridge students (Burak
Salgin, Simon Fox, Matthew Richardson and Stuart Murray) as
well as our junior professional, Scott Blaber, spend an extremely
busy two weeks touring the Real Tennis Clubs in the USA.
After gathering at Washington Dulles Airport on Sunday, 4th
September, we made the International Tennis Club our first
destination. The club opened in 1997 and features the first
court built in the US since Chicago’s was completed
in 1922 (unfortunately ‘lawn’ tennis players now
make use of the latter. However, there are plans to revive
‘proper’ tennis in the near future). The court
at Washington became known as the “Prince’s Court”
not only as a gesture towards the 19th century Tennis and
Rackets clubs in the Knightsbridge area of London but also
because of the invaluable contribution of Frederick Prince,
who was part of the committee that struggled for nearly 10
years to secure the future of the Washington Club. Now found
in a modern sports facility just outside the capital, Prince’s
Court features an imposing 18 ft. glass main wall, which offers
the possibility to enjoy tennis in a whole new way –
spectators get an unprecedented view of the action and the
players have an opportunity to save their best main wall-dedans
forces for particularly interesting fans they would like to
impress. This did not prove to be the best strategy as the
Cambridge team lost 5 matches to 3 when contesting the “Fowler-Hamilton
Cup” that was on offer. However, since Mr Hamilton went
to Oxford this is not much of a disappointment. The competition
was concluded at Haven Pell’s home with a magnificent
Labor Day BBQ. Mr Pell not only knows how to throw a great
party but has also been the driving force behind the mission
of building a Real Tennis court at Washington. The club can
now pride itself on a wonderful court and a vibrant membership
that certainly knows how to look after students. Our thanks
also go out to the head pro, Ivan Ronaldson, who is doing
an incredible job, and the ‘Ambassador’ Temple
Grassi, who is highly entertaining and an amazing host. If
you ever decide to visit Prince’s Court, you will be
well looked after.
The Philadelphia Racquets Club abandoned its clubhouse and
two rackets courts on Walnut Street in 1907 in order to move
to new premises on South 16th Street, where it now offers
not only rackets but also squash and Real Tennis right in
the heart of the city. It is needless to say that the club’s
facilities are extremely impressive. Furthermore, one is constantly
reminded of the famous Jay Gould who joined the club in 1909
and the name Van Alen still echoes through the world of tennis
today. Former professionals include Frederick Tompkins, Jimmy
Dunn and Ed Noll. The current head pro, Rob Whitehouse, is
doing a great job in improving the standard of tennis in Philadelphia,
which is now regarded as the centre of junior tennis in America.
However, Cambridge was able to hold back both young and old
and won what we consider to be convincingly by 6 matches to
4. For lovers of slow bouncy floors and a ‘boast and
force’ game, the Philadelphia court is a great place
to play. Even Queen’s Club would be in awe of the ‘Philly
red clay’. We had our difficulties getting used to this
rather different approach to the game but having played on
this court certainly improved our tennis within two days of
competitive matches.
After 4 days of incredibly hard work (tennis, dining and
socialising), we headed towards a calm weekend at Tuxedo Park
on Friday, 9th September. The club itself was founded in 1886
and the Real Tennis court, opened in 1899, is now the oldest
still in continuous use in the US. Eustace Miles supervised
the court construction and persuaded Robert Moore to come
from England and take charge. Thomas Greevy has been the head
pro since 1967 and delighted us on Friday evening with his
stories of the club for many hours over a beer and some food.
He is a legend in the US court tennis scene and we hope that
he will continue to be around for many more years. The court
itself is in an immaculate condition, a Bickley masterpiece:
fast floor, relatively slow walls and a steep penthouse that
allows the ball to continue to spin into the service box.
The Cambridge team was eagerly awaiting Sunday, 11th September.
We were incredibly excited by the prospect of playing at Lakewood,
the court on which Jay Gould, former World Champion, grew
up. In the 1880s, Lakewood, New Jersey, was a well-known health
resort and winter paradise. George Jay Gould then bought 150
acres of land in 1896 and got New York’s Bruce Price
to design the country estate known as “Georgian Court”.
In 1898, the “Bachelor’s Court” was added,
which is now known as the “Casino”. Most importantly,
it featured a Real Tennis court where Mr Gould’s son,
Jay, learned his tennis and turned into one of the greatest
amateur players of all time. After active use during the Gould
years the court has been pretty much dormant since 1924, but
with the help of the USCTPF and dedication of Clarence McGowan,
in particular, the court has undergone major refurbishment.
Bill McLaughlin, president of the USCTA, was so kind to invite
the Cambridge team to Lakewood in order to take on numerous
board members that included Samuel Abernethy, Haven Pell,
Clarence McGowan, Greg and Lucienne Van Schaack, Jay Schochet,
Arnold Spangler, Brian Owens, Peter and Bridget Di Bonaventura,
Jonathan Pardee, Arthur Drane and Joe Tomaino. Philadelphia’s
Rob Whitehouse provided balls and marked the first official
match for 20 years, which was contested by Bill McLaughlin
and Haven Pell vs. Cambridge’s Matthew Richardson and
Stuart Murray. We hope that the efforts to bring back Real
Tennis to Lakewood will make an impression on the ladies of
the Georgian Court College and people living nearby so that
we will see many new talents prosper and take on the rest
of the world.
A busy first week was concluded with some more pizza in New
York City. An early start on Monday, 12th September, saw us
walk up to the famous New York Racquet and Tennis Club on
Park Avenue, which moved to its current position in 1904 where
the construction of the two courts, East and West, were supervised
by Mr Bickley. Straight away the name Pierre Etchebaster comes
into one’s mind, who arrived at the club in 1930. M.
Etchebaster was obviously not only a rather decent tennis
virtuoso himself but also helped players like Norty Knox,
Jimmy Bostwick and Gene Scott along on their way to ‘fame
and glory’. Furthermore, one cannot omit Wayne Davies,
who was head pro at the club between 1982 and 1996. Mr Davies
was forced to pass on the World Championship to Rob Fahey,
who was in turn challenged, twice, by another former NY head
pro, Tim Chisholm. With the kind permission of the Club President
Samuel Abernethy, the current head professional, Mike Gooding,
was so kind to organise four tough singles matches for the
Cambridge players. The East court lived up to our expectations:
incredibly fast on the floor and off the walls, a great court
to beat your opponent on the floor and so we did: 3 matches
to 1.
A further day at the ‘Big Apple’ and we were
off to Boston to find out whether people there do really think
there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R’s).
This turned out to be case, but the club was fantastic. Situated
right in the city centre, it boasts four floors of numerous
squash courts, a rackets and a Real Tennis court as well as
the friendliest people one will ever meet. Arthur Drane was
a magnificent host and even though he wasn’t able to
hold back the Cambridge duo of Matthew and Simon with his
partner in doubles, the head pro, Jimmy Burke, clenched a
6-5 victory in the third and final set with his doubles partner
when taking on Burak and Scott. We put the loss of the latter
match down to the white balls.
It was time to chill out at Newport, Rhode Island. A one
hour drive to the “National Tennis Club” brought
rain with it but the Cambridge team was determined to make
an impact in the anniversary tournaments – Newport was
celebrating the 125th birthday of the club and 25th of the
court. The original court (1880) was rebuilt in 1980 after
fires took their toll in 1945 and ’46. It is now the
official court of the USCTA and by far the busiest out of
all we have seen. Richard Smith and Bryn Sayers have their
hands full with organising one event after the other, which
include not only the Pell Cup and US Pro Singles, but Newport
was also host to the 2004 World Championship. Needless to
say, we enjoyed ourselves immensely at the anniversary dinner
in the “Tennis Hall of Fame” and we also made
in impression on the tennis court: Matthew Richardson won
the handicap singles tournament. What a way to conclude these
two exciting weeks!
Many thanks to our friends in the US for making this tour
so enjoyable. It really is a memory that will last forever.
We would also like to acknowledge the following individuals
for helping make this trip possible: Peter Raby, Dr Jeremy
Fairbrother, Jonathan Ellis-Miller, Andrew Bunting (Prince),
James Simpson (Pol Roger) and Kees Ludekens.
